I ordered John-Julian, OJN's translation of Julian of Norwich, with commentary by an Associate of the Order of Julian of Norwich named Frederick Roden, and today the book, Love's Trinity, arrived from Liturgical Press. Info and lavish praise here.
For those of you who don't know, OJN is the Order of Julian of Norwich. Yes, we have our very own contemplative order inspired by Julian in the Episcopal Church. Fr. John-Julian founded it in 1985 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Its monastery is now in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Both monks and nuns live there.
On a related note, this week I rejoice in the ordination to the transitional diaconate of my friend Deborah Brown in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, New York. She is a former Diocese of North Carolina resident (canonically and otherwise) now living with her beloved up there in the snow belt, where said beloved got a professor job a year ago. Deborah is an Oblate of the Order of Julian of Norwich and as such is committed to a regular practice of silent contemplative prayer as well as daily Morning and Evening Prayer.
I have no time to "read for fun" right now, but I will make time to savor a little bit of Julian every day now that the book has arrived. I am looking forward to this spiritual nourishment and happy that John-Julian, OJN has helped to provide it, and that Dame Julian's words have survived into our day.
At this same time that I saw this sight of the head bleeding, our good Lord
**showed to me a spiritual vision of his simple loving.
I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us.
***He is our clothing which for love enwraps us,
*********holds us,
****and all encloses us because of His tender love,
************so that He may never leave us.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *** * * * * * * * * * * He showed a little thing,
****the size of an hazel nut
***in the palm of my hand,
***and it was as round as a ball.
I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and thought:
***"What can this be?"
And it was generally answered thus: "It is all that is made."
I marveled how it could continue,
***because it seemed to me it could suddenly have sunk into nothingness
*******because of its littleness.
And I was answered in my understanding:
****"It continueth and always shall, because God loveth it;
****and in this way everything hath its being by the love of God."
In this little thing I saw three characteristics:
***the first is that God made it,
***the second is that God loves it,
***the third, that God keeps it.
****************************************from Chapter 5
I consider Julian my saint as I was born on her day without knowing it until 1995 when I began my journey to the Episcopal Church. I became a member of the order in 1996 until 2000 when I deemed it time to leave. It had served me well and its teachings continue. Julian was a part of my doctrinal studies at one time and I continue to study when I can her Revelations. Thank you for this Jane...
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I did not know you had been a member of the order! What a rich formation to take with you.
ReplyDeleteI was born on May 7, the day before Julian's day. In the evening, so it counts for the vigil! :-)
I've just come back from a visit to Norwich. I stayed in All Hallows retreat house, next to the shrine, and had the most wonderful time (thanks, Sister Pamela!).
ReplyDeleteTwenty years ago, when I lived in Norwich, I used to worship at St Julian's - straight from the archaeological dig at Castle Mall, most of the time, and still in my steel toe capped boots and reflective jacket!
I've been a Friend of St Julian's ever since.